By Ola Kay
Ahead of the May 1, 2024 Workers’ Day celebration, the Nigeria Labour Congress ,NLC, has listed seven critical demands from the Federal Government, while spelling out an urgent need for a new minimum wage.
This followed the possibility that President Bola Tinubu may announce the proposed new wage standards during the celebrations.
Among the demands by the labour union is the establishment of state police, as a way of mitigating rampant security challenges across the nation. The NLC also demands that the new minimum wage, once approved, must be uniformly implemented across all states, local governments, and the organized private sector.
The labour union noted that the unified approach is deemed necessary to ensure fairness and alleviate economic disparities across different regions and sectors.
The 2024 Workers’ Day is particularly significant as it follows a tentative agreement by organized labour to set the new minimum wage at N615,000 per month.This figure was determined before the recent increases in electricity tariffs by the Federal Government, which has added to the cost of living challenges faced by Nigerian workers.
It is interesting to note that, the N30,000 subsisting minimum wage expired three days ago, as its five-year lifespan ended on April 18.
Former President Muhammad Buhari had signed the N30,000 Minimum Wage Act into law on April 18, 2019.The tripartite committee, comprising representatives of organised private sector, organised labour and government, for a national minimum wage negotiation, follows the International Labour Organisation ,ILO, Convention 131.In January, the president, through his Vice President, Kashim Shettima, had, on January 30, set up a 37-member panel at the council chamber of the State House in Abuja.
Speaking on the development, the NLC National Treasurer, Hakeem Ambali, listed seven demands the congress had made from the federal and state governments.
“First, we expect that there should be improved labour government industrial relations, full implementation of minimum wage across the board for the federal, state, local government and private sector workers.
Settlement of pension arrears, the establishment of compressed natural gas conversion centers in all senatorial districts, fixing of Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries.
Creation of state and local government police, granting of local government autonomy, granting of infrastructure support scheme to all local governments,” said the National Treasurer.
Ambali stated that the Congress still awaited an invitation to the next meeting of the tripartite committee on minimum wage.
In his reaction, President of the TUC and one-time president of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, Peter Esele, had cautioned against what he described as arbitrary fixing of a new minimum wage.
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